


breakfast in bed

by mathgoat



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: (hes in college but soon to actually be Dr K), Alternate Universe - Bed & Breakfast, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Bottom Richie Tozier, College Student Eddie Kaspbrak, Doctor Eddie Kaspbrak, Falling In Love, Fluff, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Good Parents Maggie & Wentworth Tozier, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Meet-Cute, Photographer Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier Has a Sister, Smut, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Top Eddie Kaspbrak, all smut is contained to one chapter so u can skip it if u want, angst? dont know her, background/mentioned stanpat benverly and hanbrough, just a bit bc im still me, this is just cute okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:02:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27875022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mathgoat/pseuds/mathgoat
Summary: Was it possible to fall in love with someone in less than a month? Richie didn’t know, but he suspected he might have done so anyway.OR: Richie Tozier and his sister own a Bed & Breakfast in country Montana. Eddie Kaspbrak is a stressed med student who needs a fucking break. Richie sure knows how to make his guests feel welcome.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier & Richie Tozier's Sister
Comments: 16
Kudos: 47





	1. Richie

**Author's Note:**

> So, uh. Hi.
> 
> (this is a repeat of the author's note from the other fic i just posted)
> 
> For those of you who are subscribed to me for my runaways fic from July... I am truly sorry. If you've just stumbled upon this fic and have no idea what runaways is, I would love for you to pop over and give it a read, as I am currently (FINALLY) in the middle of writing the last chapter. I'll probably give a bit of an explanation of where I've been on that chapter if anyone was interested/concerned/whatever, but I am here, I am still around and I fully intend to finish that fic.
> 
> Anyway.
> 
> This is the first chapter of a fic that I wrote in July, and I really only have another chapter and a half pre-written as of now. I have outlined the whole thing and it's 8 chapters, but they'll be much shorter than my usual multi-chapter monstrosities. But in all honesty, as much as this fic has been knocking about in my head for a literal year, I have no idea if I'll continue this - it will depend on reader response, so leave kudos and comments and come chat to me on [tumblr](http://www.bowtiescarves.tumblr.com) if this fic interests you!
> 
> (Also, this hasn't been proofread. I didn't even read it before posting so I'm just hoping I proofread when I wrote it in July lmao. If there are major errors though, pls tell me in the comments.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Toziers prepare for their new guest and Richie receives his first warning.

It was a phone call from Beverly that Richie had to thank, really, for the way his summer turned out (and quite possibly the rest of his life).

Elizabeth wandered into the living room with her phone tucked between her ear and shoulder, motioning for him to move from where he was sprawled across the couch. She sat down next to him and opened her laptop on the coffee table, clicking on their calendar. Richie watched curiously as his sister hovered over next month’s bookings.

“Yep, we’ve got room. Hold on.” She placed her phone down on the table and put it on speaker. “Sorry, go on. Richie’s here.”

“Hey, Rich!” Beverly’s voice scratched through the phone. “I’m hooking you guys up with my bestie and roommate. He needed a freakin’ vacation, like, yesterday.”

“Ooh,” Richie said, wiggling his eyebrows. “Is he hot?”

Liz smacked his arm. “Zip it. This is  _ work,  _ idiot, not your personal real-life Tinder. You want a date, download the actual app again.” She gave him a pointed glare. “No. Flirting. With guests. You know the rules.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Richie waved her off. “Such a spoilsport, Tozier.”

“You brought this on yourself, Tozier.”

“Guys, I’m still here, you know that, right?” Beverly chuckled across the line.

“Sorry, babe,” Liz continued, ignoring Richie now. “He’s like a parasite. Can’t seem to get rid of him.”

“Love you, too,” Richie said, blowing his sister a dramatic kiss and got up, snatching the keys from around her neck as he went.

Richie walked across the room to the glass-panelled door that divided his and Elizabeth’s personal side of the house from the B&B rooms, putting in the key to let himself in. Their previous guests had just checked out and he’d decided to lie down and scroll aimlessly through Twitter for a few minutes before he was so rudely interrupted. He supposed he should make a start on cleaning the room before his sister chewed his head off. It wasn’t like he had any events on the next few days and since it was a Monday and Stan baked on Mondays, he couldn’t even go bother his friend, so he had literally nothing else to do. Liz would be pleased.

He was loading the bedsheets into the washing machine when she appeared in the doorway.

“Oh, wow, he does know how to operate that thing!”

“Very funny. Guess what I found in the fucking nightstand drawer?”

“More used condoms?” She grimaced.

Richie winked. “Ten points to Ravenclaw.”

“That’s fucking disgusting. Why are straight people so disgusting?”

“ _ You _ are straight, Elizabeth.”

“ _ I _ am exempt from all negative remarks.”

Richie chuckled. “As someone who is straight sometimes, I still take great offence to that statement.”

“You should. It was aimed at you,” she quipped with a smirk. “That couple was super sweet and respectful and left a lovely message in the guest book and I wasn’t referring to them at all.”

“And a surprise for us in the drawer. Couldn’t even aim for the bin.”

Liz shrugged. “It’s far from the first time. Not that you’d know. I’m honestly shocked to see you cleaning something that isn’t your camera lens.”

“I don’t know what’s come over me.” Richie shut the washing machine door and theatrically clapped both hands on his cheeks. “Did you make a wish on a shooting star?”

“I did, but it hasn’t come true, or you’d be gone and I wouldn’t have to split forty percent of our profit with such a deadbeat little brother.”

He flipped her off as he walked past and out of the room. “Please, you’d be bored without me.”

“Maybe,” Liz called after him, “But I’d get a hell of a lot more work done!”

“This is why you get sixty percent, Lizzy!”

Her comment reminded Richie that he did, in fact, have to clean his camera lenses after his event last weekend. He’d sort of forgotten about that, as he did many things, quite frequently.

Elizabeth knocked on his bedroom door a few hours later. “We’re just ordering take out. Stan and Patty are finally done for the day and they’re swinging by for a bite.”

The four of them hung out semi-regularly, whenever they could all spare an evening. The B&B was something of a side business for the Toziers, even though it took up much of their time most days. Elizabeth was a wedding planner and Richie a freelance photographer who sometimes worked for his sister when he didn’t have other events on. He liked weddings the most. He was a bit of a sappy romantic at heart, and Liz knew this, so she always told him about her clients before offering them up to her other contacts. That’s how she knew Beverly, a famous wedding dress designer from Seattle. The girls met in college. Beverly was a sophomore when Liz was a senior, working on one of her elaborate, final projects, and enlisted Beverly’s artistic talent to bring her event plan to life. Richie had met Beverly a few times, even tried to hit on her before Liz scolded him for always sleeping with her friends.

Stan and Patty owned a bakery in town, and they met the Toziers when Elizabeth’s eyes first landed on one of Patty’s intricate wedding cakes. The woman was kind of a genius. Stan made the best bread Richie had ever tasted in his life and frequently found himself at their bakery when he was between jobs, talking Stan’s ear off and munching on sourdough or pane di casa. Before he knew Stan and Patty were engaged, Richie had hit on him, too, something none of them let him live down.

Elizabeth was chatting with Patty about one of her fussy clients, asking if they could squeeze in a last minute customer. Richie was much more eager to talk about  _ their _ new customer – Beverly’s friend who’d be staying with them next month.

“Did Bev end up saying whether our new guest was cute or not?” Richie asked his sister.

Elizabeth and Stan rolled their eyes. “No,” she said. “She didn’t say anything.”

Patty was frowning. “Didn’t your text say you were worried about Richie sleeping with the boy ‘cause he’s gay?”

Richie grinned. Thank fucking god for Patty’s blabber mouth. Elizabeth shot her a glare and turned back to Richie, a pained smile on her face. Stan snickered.

“Good luck, Tozier,” he said. “That goes for both of you. You guys are insufferable.”

“So, what’s his name?” Richie asked, ignoring Stan, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand.

Elizabeth groaned, but Richie knew he could just check their computer for the guy’s details if he really wanted, and his sister knew that, too. “His name is Eddie,” she said.

“Eddie. Sounds like my kinda prince charming. Eddie Spaghetti.”

“He’s a college student. Don’t be a fucking cradle snatcher, Rich.”

“Stanley was in college two years ago,” Patty pointed out. Richie honestly loved Patty. He pointed his fork at Liz and nodded. “Besides, Richie should be allowed to date whomever he pleases.”

“Wanna try your luck, Pats? It’s not too late to break things off with Staniel. You haven’t signed anything yet.”

“Fuck off,” Stan snapped. “Go ruin someone else’s relationship.”

Liz raised her eyebrows. “That’s a point. You don’t even know if he’s single. Bev didn’t tell me his whole fucking life story. She just promised to hook me up with some of her clients for a bit of a discount. The guy’s staying for all of June.”

“Bev needs to work on her communication skills, then. I wanna know if Eddie is up for grabs or not.”

“Literally,” Patty added, nudging Richie’s side with a wink.

“Man, I really do wanna steal you away sometimes.”

“Cut it out, Rich.”

“I love you, too, Stan, don’t worry. I’d fuck you both if you were down.”

“Beep beep, Richie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, kudos and comments give me life and keep me writing so please consider leaving something below if you enjoyed this. also come chat to me on [tumblr](http://www.bowtiescarves.tumblr.com)!
> 
> if there is a decent response to this chapter, I'll post chapter 2 and maybe finish up chapter 3... we shall see how you guys feel about it so far.


	2. Eddie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Eddie pats a dog and gets a massage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> despite not getting very much attention in chapter 1, i am still super excited about this fic and actually finished writing chapter 3 when i was supposed to be writing chapter 19 of runaways... *cue me taking on like six new fic/tumblr projects over the summer and not finishing the things i'm supposed to*
> 
> anyway here's chapter 2. it's from eddie's pov! this one _has_ been proofread lol.
> 
> the tozier's place is based off the accommodation i stayed in when i went to new zealand back in january. it's actually what inspired this entire fic in the first place. i've put a link to the place's website in the end notes if anyone wanted to look at pictures to see where eddie is staying.

When Bev called Eddie and told him she’d booked him a month-long vacation in Columbia Falls, Montana, for a moment, he thought she was playing a prank on him. But apparently, she and Ben had thousands of dollars lying around, burning a hole in their metaphorical pocket or something. He’d whined and scolded her, but when she’d shown him the photos on the place’s website, Eddie had to admit, it did look pretty fucking amazing.

He would be entering his final year of medical school come September, was yet to choose a specialisation, and had just gotten out of a two year relationship with who he thought was supposed to be the love of his life. But apparently, romance was dead and Eddie was destined to be alone forever. Maybe his mother had been right all along.

To put it simply, Eddie was in desperate need of a holiday and Bev’s ridiculous, spontaneous behaviour could not have come at a better time. He promised to pay her back at least twenty times on the journey over and thanked her repeatedly, not just for the vacation but also for being kind enough to spend the whole day driving him there since he was afraid of flying.

They arrived at the lodge in the evening and were greeted by an enthusiastic dog sitting by the reception door. The dog came bounding up to them and Eddie yelped, cowering behind Bev while she laughed and leaned down to pat it. The reception door opened and a tall woman around their age walked out in blue overalls with a pink t-shirt underneath, dark curly hair pulled into a messy bun on top of her head with a matching pink scrunchie. She grinned at Bev and the two rushed forward to hug each other, leaving Eddie with the dog.

“Lizzy!” Bev said, grinning. “Wow, girl, I’ve missed you!”

“You’re fuckin’ right, Marsh. It’s been way too long.” The woman, Lizzy, stepped back and looked at Eddie, arms tucked against his chest as the dog sniffed his shoes. “Gem,” Lizzy snapped. “Leave our guest alone.” She clicked her fingers and the dog, Gem, walked over to her obediently, sitting by her feet. She extended her hand towards him. “You must be Eddie. Hi, I’m Elizabeth Tozier.”

Eddie shook her hand with a firm grip, struggling to regain his composure when that damn animal had its tongue out and was watching him like he was a snack. “Eddie Kaspbrak,” he managed, taking his eyes off the dog. “Thank you so much for having me here on such late notice. Bev can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but I love her for doing this.”

Elizabeth snickered. “Ain’t that the truth. Come on, let’s all go inside. Bev—” She turned to her friend. “You’re staying the night. No driving back to Seattle at this hour. And  _ no  _ argument.” Bev held up her hands in defence and she and Eddie followed Elizabeth inside.

Despite the door saying ‘reception’ on the front, it didn’t seem like much of a reception at all. There was a desk covered in papers and a laptop next to a bookshelf, a couch on the opposite wall with a large painting hanging above it of dogs and cats dressed like people playing golf that made Eddie chuckle. The room was small, another door just a few feet away, where Elizabeth took them through into a lounge room. She gestured to their left, pointing out a table tucked into a hole in the wall where they could help themselves to tea and coffee and three kinds of milk in the minifridge, then to their right where another tall bookshelf held books and board games and DVDs, and a TV they were free to use whenever. Two deep blue leather couches were separated by a coffee table in front of the television, brightly patterned coasters in a neat stack next to a small vase of flowers.

“This is where we serve breakfast between seven and ten every morning,” Elizabeth said as they crossed the room and stood in front of a large square table. “You’ll be here for a while, Eddie, and we’ll have some other guests as well during your stay. Richie makes damn good pancakes, so I’d get in quick if I were you, before they get snatched up. Richie’s my brother,” she clarified. Eddie noticed a small smirk playing at Bev’s lips. “He’s… a handful. You’ll see.”

They rounded the rest of the room, Elizabeth pointing out the farm through the glass doors that took up nearly half the wall. A wooden bench with an umbrella sat on the balcony outside, potted plants and bushes surrounding the small space. Eddie thought he might like to go out there to read sometime, basking in the warmth of the afternoon.

“Through here is where Richie and I live.” They’d reached another double door with glass panelling. Elizabeth pulled a lanyard from her pocket and unlocked the door, taking Eddie and Bev through to another lounge room, this one with an open layout connected to a kitchen. Gem appeared seemingly out of nowhere and ran up to Elizabeth, nuzzling her hand for pats. Eddie took a moment to glance around the room. The decor and colour scheme were quite similar to the guest rooms, but the overall feel of this room was messier, felt lived-in. Elizabeth walked through the dining area to the kitchen and stuck her head out the door, where Eddie could see a hallway covered in similar animal paintings to the reception. “Richard?”

Eddie took the time to walk over to the back window. A small group of sheep were clustered in a large paddock beyond the deck, trees and flowers lining a path to the paddock gate. Eddie wanted nothing more but to stay as far away from the farm animals as possible. He’d be happy to sit outside and observe them from yards away.

He felt Bev’s presence by his side before he heard her speak. “So, what do you think so far?” Eddie hummed positively. “Think you can get your nose out of the books for a few weeks? You’ve got to relax more, Eddie.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m quite aware. Only one more year, though. I just need to worry about choosing a specialisation this month. That’s the only medical thought I’ll have. Pinky swear.” He held up his finger, pinky crooked in Bev’s direction.

“You better be telling the truth,” she said, but took his pinky with hers regardless.

The hallway door opened again and Eddie turned to see a man around his age with a striking resemblance to Elizabeth walk in. His hair was just as wildly curly, hanging down below his ears, large red glasses on his face, and he was wearing the most ridiculous combination of clothing Eddie had ever seen. His light blue shirt was covered in rainbow-coloured birds, left open with a Pacman t-shirt underneath. He was also wearing pink crocs.

He looked so  _ stupid _ and Eddie was  _ blushing. _

The guy, Richie, he presumed, had an insanely wide grin on his face, large front teeth on full display. “You must be Eds!”

Eddie’s brows pinched together in a deep frown. He absently registered Bev and Elizabeth rolling their eyes. “It’s Eddie,” he said.

“Please behave, Rich,” Elizabeth grumbled.

“What have I done?” Richie threw his hands up dramatically. “Am I not even allowed to  _ greet _ our guests anymore?” He turned on Eddie. “I’m the better sibling, trust me. Way more fun and at least ten percent more attractive.”

Eddie really hated that he was blushing. “I have been told I need more fun in my life.” That made Richie grin. “Although you might want to take a page out of your sister’s closet. You look like a thrift store threw up on you.”

Elizabeth snorted. “Let me take your bags, Eddie. Richie can show you guys around.”

“Actually,” Bev said, “I’ll come with you, Liz. I’m only here for the night, I don’t need a tour.”

“Perfect!” Richie clapped his hands together. “Shall we, Eds?”

“It’s  _ Eddie. _ ”

“I’m sure Liz walked you through the living area, but let me show you the best part - our farm animals. Have you met Gem?”

“I have. I don’t really like animals, to be honest.”

Richie blanched. “How in the heck? Gem’s a little angel!”

“She tried to eat me!”

“She probably tried to mooch some pats. Come on, let me at least show you around outside. It’s a freakin’ gorgeous evening.” Eddie reluctantly followed Richie out the back door, across the deck and down the path towards the flock of sheep. “Eds, meet Dasher, Dancer, Pranc—”

“Are you actually serious?” Eddie laughed.

“Indeed I am, Eddie Spaghetti.”

“God, please don’t call me that.”

Richie chuckled and pointed to a sheep. “This gal over here was our first and we named her Rudolph because her little nose was so adorably pink, and then the others just sort of happened. I take full credit, though. Any good idea that’s come outta this place has been mine and mine alone. Liz just does taxes and all that important shit.” He gestured to the other end of the paddock and started walking. “Down here we have - funnily enough - Ed, Edd and Eddy, our three bulls. Double D is a bit of an angry one unless you’re with Elizabeth, so I’d suggest staying away.”

“Believe me, I was planning to anyway.” Eddie’s eyes narrowed slightly at the bulls. “So, do you own all this land?”

“Uh, technically, if you wanna be all technical, our friends Mike and Bill own the farm and the animals and our property line stops over there, but we’ve all been friends for so long that they let us say the animals are ours. Adds to the accommodation appeal and all that jazz. Mike grew up on a farm and when he moved out here, he met Bill and  _ man, _ he was whipped instantly. Quite funny, actually, ‘cause I’d been friends with Bill since we were kids, and had honestly been tryin’ to get into his pants for like six years, and then Mikey shows up and sweeps the guy off his feet, like what the fuck? Am I just chopped liver? But it’s all good, they’ve been married a couple-a years now, and initially I was mighty miffed at the fact that Bill blew me off for a big black cock but they were so disgustingly in love that I got over myself.”

Eddie blinked. “Do you know how many words per minute you speak? Genuine question. Because I consider myself a fast talker, but holy  _ shit, _ Richie. What are you even talking about?”

“Mike’s enormous dick, I believe.”

“Ugh, no one wants to hear about that.” Eddie turned and headed back past the sheep and towards the house, hearing Richie scramble to follow behind him. “I do like the look of this outdoor setup,” he said honestly. “I’d love to bring my laptop or a book out here and just relax.”

“That is precisely what it’s for. Around this time of year, the sun hits just the right spot at three or four in the afternoon.”

Richie took him back into the Toziers’ part of the house, pointing out the rooms and explaining the story behind each of the paintings on the wall.

“And these are our bedrooms. That one’s mine.” Richie pointed to the end of the hall. “Door’s always open for ya, Eds Spagheds.”

“Oh, it got worse. And what the fuck? Are you even  _ allowed _ to say stuff like that?”

Richie shrugged. “When you work for yourself, you make your own rules.”

“Kind of sounds to me like you work for your sister,” Eddie teased. He hoped he wasn’t being an asshole. He could get like that sometimes.

But Richie just rolled with everything that came out of his mouth. “Yowza! That’s some funny shit, Eds! Anyone ever tell you that you should be a comedian?”

“Absolutely no one. I wouldn’t even dream of it.”

Richie led them back to the guest living room. “What is it that you study, again?”

“I’m in medical school. In a year’s time, I’ll be a doctor.”

Richie’s eyes sparkled. “Doctor K! What a smart little guy you are, hey?”

“I’m  _ not _ little. I’m actually a completely average height.”

“Sounds like somethin’ someone little might say.” 

Eddie rolled his eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”

“So they tell me,” Richie said.

Eddie sighed, turned to look out the window at the sun setting over the farm. Warm colours draped over the landscape, animals tinged golden under the sky. Eddie let his eyes slip shut, warmth radiating through the glass and onto his face. It was calming. “Bev says I need this.” He heard Richie come up behind him and then he placed both hands on his shoulders. Eddie shrieked and jumped away. “What the hell?”

“Judging by the tension you’re carrying, I’d say Bev’s onto something. C’mere.”

Richie stepped closer again, hands raised in submission. Eddie glanced between his hands and face for a few moments, before ultimately relenting and turning his back to Richie again. He clamped his teeth down on his bottom lip when Richie’s large fingers dug into his shoulder to keep himself from moaning. His muscles were tight, he could tell, and so could Richie.

“Jesus, Eds, you’re gonna need a professional to fix these babies up,” Richie mumbled, pressing his thumb against a particularly tight knot and moving in circles. “I can feel it clicking.”

Eddie hummed, not trusting himself to speak.

This went on in comfortable silence for a few minutes until someone cleared their throat behind them.

“Boys?” Elizabeth said. “Dinner’s ready.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i will say this every time i post something - comments and kudos feed my soul and my [tumblr](https://www.bowtiescarves.tumblr.com) inbox/dms are always open for people to come chat <3
> 
> [here's the actual lodge](https://mtmaudelodge.co.nz/)


	3. Eddie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Eddie downloads Instagram and learns to relax.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello hello and happy holidays everyone! i've been on a real creative kick today and felt like posting this while i work on chapter 4, as well as the final chapter of my runaways fic. hope you all enjoy this chapter - it's still very weird for me to post such short chapters that can be read in one sitting lol, although they have been steadily getting longer and i have a feeling that's going to continue as i work through this fic sjkdhfjlk

Eddie was a little sad when Bev left the next day, especially because dinner with the four of them had been so much fun. Eddie didn’t think he’d laughed so much since… well, since his last night with— and then he’d gone and—

Whatever. It didn’t matter.  _ He _ didn’t matter anymore.

Eddie was notoriously grumpy in the mornings, trudging out into the open living room at seven o’clock for some stupid pancakes made by some stupid guy that Eddie  _ knew _ was someone he could see himself crushing on and he did not have it in himself to deal with that right now. Still, Eddie liked pancakes, so here he was.

He poured himself a black coffee and added some cold water to turn it into a long black so he could sip at it immediately, shuffling over to the table, still in his blue and white striped pyjama shorts and a ratted grey t-shirt. Richie walked into the room mere seconds after Eddie’d sat down and immediately started cooing at his messy bedhead.

“Cute, cute, cute!” Richie exclaimed.

Eddie waved him off, sipping his coffee. “Shut up. Who gave you the right to be so excitable so early in the morning?”

“Aw, Eds, nothin’ like an adorable boy waiting for your famous pancakes to get one’s blood pumping!” Richie set a large plate on the table, stacked high with pancakes. They were plain, various sizes and questionable ovals at best, but they smelled delicious. Eddie’s stomach grumbled.

“Thanks.” He helped himself to the food, pouring a small amount of syrup on top and downing the rest of his long black. Richie pulled up a chair.

“So, Spaghetti Man, what are your plans for this fine morning? You’ve got thirty days to kill. Whaddya gonna do?”

Eddie shrugged. “I haven’t thought about it too much just yet. That’s probably what I’ll spend today doing.” He took a bite of his pancake. “Holy shit, these are good.”

Richie beamed. “You better watch out. Once the other guests discover the magic that is Richie Trashmouth’s Breakfast Buffet, there’ll be a line out the freakin’ door. Get ‘em while they’re hot! First come first served, Spaghetti. Every pasta for themselves.”

“I guess I’m setting myself a six-forty-five alarm for thirty days straight.” He took a bigger bite, lips twitching into a smile. “Got any recommendations for things to do around here?”

“Yeah, dude, heaps of them. Let me grab some brochures and I’ll show you the good stuff.”

Eddie ended up with a list of places, attractions, restaurants and parks worth checking out, and a rough plan for his month. Richie even scribbled when he was away for work into Eddie’s calendar, claiming that the town just wouldn’t be the same if he explored without a tour guide.

Eddie had to be careful.

He knew what would happen if he let himself get carried away with this cute guy’s antics and bad jokes and horrendous shirt collection. He did not need another Justin situation on his hands.

Eddie was more than content to spend his first day sitting outside, soaking up the warmth from the sun (safely, of course, with sunscreen and a hat and sunglasses). He cracked open a new novel and got through nearly half when the sun disappeared behind a tree and his stomach started growling at him for ignoring it all day. There was one bowl of fruit and one of chocolate bars on the dining table inside. Eddie picked up some grapes and a Flake. He enjoyed some variety and goddamnit, with just one more year of college to go, he’d earned that Flake.

He FaceTimed Bev that night. Her bright grin took over his entire phone screen and he couldn’t help but smile back.

“How are you doing, kiddo? Settled in yet?”

Eddie leaned back on the bed and crossed his ankles. “Yeah. I did absolutely nothing today and it was kind of amazing.”

“That’s what I like to hear.”

“I even took a nap this afternoon.”

“Wow, you really are taking a break,” Bev teased.

“Shut up,” Eddie grumbled. “I’m  _ trying, _ okay? I’ve spent how many years stressed out of my mind? It’s difficult and strange to get to just… do nothing. I feel like I’m wasting time.”

“I know, honey. It might take a bit. That’s why I thought four weeks would be good. It gives you enough time to actually de-stress as well as have fun. Have you found any good places to check out?”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, Richie showed me where to get good food and some nice parks and stuff to hang out in. He’s cool. I didn’t get to see Elizabeth much today.”

“She’s certainly a busy woman. I don’t know how she does it. I can handle one business, but to think about another? I mean, I know she has Richie to help, but still.”

“Yeah,” Eddie snorted, “Although, it’s not like he does much. He spent half of today showing me his latest wedding album and the other half playing fucking video games in the other room.”

“God, speaking of weddings…”

Eddie’s brows flew up. “Yes? What about weddings? Come on, Bev, spill.”

“No, that’s just it. Nothing’s happening! I swear, I’m just gonna propose to Ben myself.”

“Do it. Why shouldn’t you be able to do it?”

“You’re totally right. Ben’ll probably love it, that romantic sap.”

Eddie sighed. Bev and Ben’s love was one for the ages, he was sure. He was also sure that he’d never find a connection that special. “Seriously, though; thank you for this, Bev. I… I know I seemed ungrateful the other day, but I do really appreciate you pushing me to do this. I must’ve been a pain in the ass this last semester.”

“You do get pretty feral when you’re stressed, which is exactly why you need this. Listen, I gotta go, but please call me tomorrow. Take heaps of pics and tell me all about your amazing, relaxing time, okay? Love you, kiddo.”

The next few days were used precisely how Bev intended - wandering around the B&B grounds, eating pancakes and enjoying some early morning banter with Richie, chatting with Elizabeth in the evening while she worked on her laptop with Richie in the kitchen behind them, making far too much noise for them to hold a proper conversation, and (most importantly) sleeping in. By the time Friday rolled around, Eddie felt thoroughly de-stressed, which may have also had something to do with the frankly amazing shoulder massages Richie’s large hands had afforded him two or three times during the week, and also to do with the empty bottles of wine sitting on his nightstand.

Since Eddie was their only guest at the present, Elizabeth and Richie were heading off over the weekend for some weddings a few cities over, and Richie insisted that Eddie borrow his car to check out the town while he was gone. Eddie wasn’t so sure about driving in an unfamiliar area so close to the mountains, but Richie promised that his sturdy car would keep him safe - throwing in a bunch of stupid nicknames and crude jokes along the way - so Eddie complied.

List of activities in hand, Eddie drove into town and found himself wandering the major streets of Columbia Falls, happy just to get out in the fresh air, lose himself in the morning bustle of people rushing to work, the smell of coffee wafting out the door of Mountain Mocha and that of roses from Glacier Wallflower & Gifts. He wandered into a breakfast and brunch cafe just before midday and sent photos of the mountain range latte art to Bev, whose response was immediate.

**Bev Marsh [11:37 am]:** insta!!

**Eddie Kaspbrak [11:37 am]:** No. I dont use that anymore

**Bev Marsh [11:38 am]:** maybe u should. it looks so good eddie and u have been off social media for long enough

**Bev Marsh [11:40 am]:** ok? its time to get back out there

**Bev Marsh [11:42 am]:** come on kiddo at least do it for me. it can be ur payback for the trip

**Eddie Kaspbrak [11:47 am]:** You’re the worst bev

He let the app download while he sipped his coffee, an onslaught of notifications bombarding his phone when he logged in. There were old messages from Bev and Ben, a bunch of new likes on his last post from two months ago, and follow requests from  _ @richietrashmouth _ and  _ @tozier.photography. _ Eddie glared at his phone, hating how his heart rate picked up at the realisation that both Richie’s professional and personal profiles were publicly viewable. He scrolled for all of three seconds before he shut his phone off and groaned.

Bev texted him again so he shook his head and got the fuck over himself, posted the photo, complete with an abundance of stupid hashtags and geolocation tag. Richie’s personal account liked it straight away, and then he got a message.

**@richietrashmouth [12:06 pm]:** cute eds!

**@richietrashmouth [12:06 pm]:** i see ur taking my advice. thats my fav cafe

**@richietrashmouth [12:07 pm]:** u should try their lemon slice hhhnnnng to DIE for

**@eddie.k [12:07 pm]:** Arent you supposed to be working

**@richietrashmouth [12:08 pm]:** just finished shooting the bride n groom <3 

**@richietrashmouth [12:08 pm]:** reception timeeeeee! free booze here i come

**@eddie.k [12:09 pm]:** You’re going to drink at noon?

**@richietrashmouth [12:09 pm]:** ha! u surprised me spaghetti. thought u were gonna say i shouldnt drink while working

**@eddie.k [12:10 pm]:** Im sure elizabeth will kick your ass if you actually try

**@richietrashmouth [12:11 pm]:** shes learned to stop giving a shit

**@richietrashmouth [12:12 pm]:** anyway i gotta go but pls post more pics eds. ur a pretty good photographer x

**@eddie.k [12:13 pm]:** Wow that’s the highest of compliments, i’m so flattered

**@eddie.k [12:13 pm]:** x

Eddie groaned again as soon as he sent the ‘x’, downing the rest of his latte and standing up to leave. He eyed off the lemon slice in the display window for a few seconds, before ultimately deciding against it and heading back out to the streets, trying to put Richie’s flirting out of his mind.

People were bustling around on their lunch hour, the cafes and restaurants brimming with the warmth and laughter from their patrons, the smell of freshly cooked food reaching Eddie’s nose from every direction. He checked his list and then his phone map, making his way to the community garden. A group of parents and children were sitting by a large flower bed, moms and dads showing their kids how to plant and water flowers. Eddie smiled. A clear patch of grass by a tree was partially blocked from the sun, so he sat down and cracked open his book, getting through the second half of the novel while listening to the joyous laughter from kids playing around the vegetable garden.

On his second day in town, after Elizabeth had popped back overnight to oversee the accommodation (and Eddie  _ hated _ how much he wished Richie had come instead), Eddie decided to check out the library. He’d finished the two books he’d brought with him and Elizabeth said the library had stunning internal architecture - large, intricate paintings hung on the walls that actually inspired the Toziers to get all those paintings of animals for their house. Eddie’s eyes roamed over the landscapes and cottages in the art, hands dragging across bookshelves until he settled on one novel and one non-fiction (non-medical) book to take back with him.

Back on the street and searching for a new restaurant for lunch, kids zoomed past him on rental bikes, squealing with delight on their way down to Cedar Point Park by the river, which was where Eddie was also headed. Then, his nose caught the sweet smell of freshly baked cakes. He turned slowly, glancing at the shopfronts beside him, and then squinted across the road.  _ Patty Cake & Baker Man, _ the sign said. Eddie made a beeline for it.

Inside the shop were sporadic pastel decor, a few wooden tables and chairs lined up along the windows, and the display shelves were littered with colour and flowers and sweet-smelling icing. Eddie inhaled deeply and rang the bell on the counter.

A man with round glasses perched low on his nose poked his head out from the back of the store. “Hello! Good afternoon, I’m the Baker Man.” He brushed his flour-covered hands off on his apron and tucked his glasses into its pocket. “Is there anything I can help you with?”

“Uh, yeah, I was wondering if you have some kind of lemon slice?” Eddie asked in a spur of the moment decision.

“Sure do,” the curly-haired man said. “My fiancé, Patty, is famous for her slices in these parts of town.” He walked around the counter and gestured to a shelf. “We’ve got lemon, as well as caramel, vanilla, strawberry cheesecake, cookies and cream, rocky road, jello, double chocolate, and she’s currently working on a new boysenberry slice, if you decide to come back again tomorrow.”

Eddie eyed off the sweets. “They do look amazing. I think I’ll actually take the vanilla slice, please.”

“Certainly, what a great choice.”

Eddie pulled his wallet from his pocket. “You said your fiancé is in charge of the slices; what do you bake, then, Baker Man?”

“I’m the bread man,” he replied. “Stanley.”

“Eddie.”

Stanley quirked an eyebrow, fingers pausing where they were positioned over the register. “And where are you staying, Eddie?”

Judging by the twitch of Stanley’s lips, Eddie had a sneaking suspicion that this man knew Richie and Elizabeth. “At the Toziers’ Country Lodge.”

“Oh, you poor thing. Richie is my best friend,” Stanley explained. “That’ll be three-fifty, please.”

Eddie handed over some cash. “I actually don’t mind Richie’s company,” he confessed. “Don’t tell him I said this, but he’s actually pretty funny.”

Stanley raised his other eyebrow. “That’s certainly an interesting observation.” He chuckled. “Well, when they both return tonight, perhaps you could bring them this basket of baked goods.” Stanley heaved a woven basket up from behind the counter. “And tell Richie about the new slice flavour.”

“Sure,” Eddie nodded. “You’re not worried I’ll take this bread for myself?”

Stanley just chuckled again. “I doubt Richie would let you out of his sight. He won’t shut up about you, Eddie.”

Oh.

Eddie hated that he was blushing. “R-Right. Well, I’ll, uh— I’ll see you around, Stanley.”

“You too, Eddie. Enjoy the vanilla slice.”

Damn Richie always making Eddie blush like that. He wasn’t even  _ there _ and he was making Eddie feel all these— these  _ things. _ Eddie took a bite of his slice and walked back to the car to put down the basket, then continued walking with his book to Cedar Point Park. The fleeting thought passed through his mind that maybe Richie Tozier was his way out of this slump he’d been feeling these last few months. He wondered if perhaps he should simply embrace these budding feelings and allow himself to fully have  _ fun, _ in every sense of the word. It wasn’t as if he had to  _ date _ Richie or even speak to him again after the next three weeks were up. Maybe he could just use him to help himself relax and that would be all.

Except.

Eddie knew that wouldn’t just be all. He had never been one for one night stands or friends with benefits. Sex and love went hand in hand for Eddie, and no matter how cute or charming this guy may have been, he wasn’t going to change Eddie’s standards when it came to romance. And Eddie wasn’t going to let his guard down enough for Richie to weasel his way into his heart. There was no chance of them sleeping together if Eddie didn’t catch feelings.

Well, any  _ more _ feelings. A little crush was one thing, and that was fine. He just had to make sure he didn’t let it progress beyond that, continue being just Richie’s  _ friend, _ and he would continue to be fine.

Eddie quickly found out that that was easier said than done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are my lifeblood so if you're enjoying this fic, i encourage you to say something below! you can also chat to me on tumblr - [here's my main blog](https://bowtiescarves.tumblr.com) and i recently created a [wip fic blog](https://mathgoatwrites.tumblr.com) where i've been sort of liveblogging and shitposting as i read/write fic (i'm sort of treating it like an artist might use instagram livestreaming... but for writing)


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